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Today, social media is like the website of fifteen years ago. Many people are “dabbling” in social media because they know they have to (and you absolutely do)! However, doing social media poorly is definitely worse than not doing it at all. There are many tips to becoming a social media “guru.” The first, is[…]

All too often we hear clients say, “I don’t have a budget for marketing.” How is that possible? Well, articles like this one are quite dangerous to the new business owner. Let’s breakdown each component one by one. This article starts by saying, “Before we go into free customer acquisition strategies, you fundamentally NEED to[…]

The Bitter & Sweet, a local marketing and events company, is excited to announce the Spring Edition of The Most Epic Event Ever! On Friday, April 8th, 2016, we are turning the AOPA Community Room and Hangar into a fabulous party space. This year, proceeds will benefit Governor Thomas Johnson High School’s Patriot Turf Fund.[…]

There is much to be said for thinking outside the box and taking advantage of an opportunity (good or bad). I believe someone in the President’s administration said, “Never let a crisis go to waste.” In this case, a Las Vegas taco restaurant used video footage from a burglary to market the business – Brilliant![…]

So, you’ve gone and done it now! You’ve committed. And maybe you should BE committed! Booking yourself a booth space at a local event is a great first step. Now, what are you going to do with it? We’ve been hosting and attending events for years and here are some basics: Hey Num-nut – stand[…]

If you are savvy and successful enough to hire someone to handle your marketing but they won’t take calls, then save your money and fire their ass. This truly means that the person you hired is simply repeating whatever marketing strategies you already have in place and are bringing nothing to the table. If that’s[…]

On Friday, November 6th, 2015, we are turning the AOPA Community Room and Hangar into a fabulous party space. What will hopefully be an annual event, this year proceeds will benefit Governor Thomas Johnson High School’s Patriot Turf Fund. A portion will also be donated to: 22 Needs a Face and The Orioles Nest 331.[…]

Event planning is an art. Not only do you have to think about themes, objectives and outcomes, you have to actually think about people – all kinds of people. From the people who will attend – to sponsors, vendors, volunteers and performers. It takes wearing lots of hats and being super-bad-ass at multi-tasking. One of[…]

Just had an AWESOME experience at King’s Dominion in Virginia on Sunday {dripping with sarcasm in case you missed it}. Seriously…I am not sure if it’s the hiring process or the potential employee pool, but c’mon – this part is NOT rocket science…companies need to really think about the people that they’re putting in customer[…]

As a consumer, I like the coupon/discount sites. Trust me, I am super-thrifty… (okay, a tight-wad). You need to think about this before you decide to move forward with any kind of mass “deal site”. Who are you really trying to reach & what exactly are you trying to accomplish?? You must realize that by[…]

Yay! One of our client’s just called and says they are ready to dive into some marketing! They want to do either a return coupon promotion, or loyalty program or something of the sort. Okay great! We ask, “How much do you want to offer your returning customers?” And their response (after a very long[…]

So, you actually got off yer butt and done gone and bought yerself some banner ads, did ya??? Well good for you! We’ll give ya a big ol’ “YEE HAW.” Because frankly, at least you’re doing something. However, expecting these banners to sell your business/product/service directly and all on its own is like walking up[…]

“Not interested.” Click. Wow, really? As a business owner, please do not allow your receptionist or non-marketing person to pass on this information to someone calling on your business. It’s insulting and quite frankly makes you look like an ass-hat. (Yeah, I said “ass-hat.”) This action is even more annoying & frustrating when no one[…]

Okay, okay – you’ve decided to start a business (see previous post). Congrats on that decision. Now is the toughest part (as long as you know what business you’re going to be in already – if not, then you need to figure that out first!) Let’s just go with the fact that you know WHAT[…]

Haven’t taken the plunge yet, but you’re working on it? Insert maniacal laugh here…Mwah-ha-ha-ha! Okay, so maybe you’ve been laid off. Or maybe you’re just fed up and “Don’t want to work for the MAN (or WOMAN) any more.” You want to set your own hours and be your own boss! You’re sick of making[…]

Congratulations! You started a business. Woo freakin’ hoo for you. Why? Why did you do it? Did you open a music studio because you love music, or a clothing store because you love clothes? Did you open a dry cleaner because you like clean clothes? (No, no one does that – they open a dry[…]

The Bitter: We love when an ad just gets it right. And, yes, of course the national companies that have millions to spend seem to have a “leg up” on the average Joe. They spend tons on research, hiring consultant after consultant and follow the trends. Plus, they can spend a fortune on actors and[…]

We’re so glad you found us! We have been waiting a LONG time to put this website together. We are a collaborative team who have spent years doing all sorts of things. Owning businesses, being parents, being consumers and working in the marketing field. And we LOVE all things marketing. We like to high five[…]